..and while we're at it

We've all know for ages what a shit-hot shaper Billy Tolhurst out of Coffs is. Pretty much everyone I know has a story about either a Tolhurst fish or hi-po longboard that was an absolute cracker but somehow met an untimely end on a reef somewhere (add tears). Well it looks like he's about to launch his website www.tolhurstsurfboards.com.au for us all to drool over in our down time. No boards uploaded at the moment, but feel free to drop in and have a squiz at his range in the shop. Keep ya posted.

Long time between drinks!

Been a while crew! We're teetering on the edge of summer and as per usual, the small wave craft market is bustin' wide open. Our mates at ...Lost have a few rippers on offer this season that'll have you up and racing in the shories. As the Summer season ends and Fall approaches …Lost Surfboards is proud to announce four new 2011 models. These models are being introduced early to give everyone a chance to see what has been going down this past season. After lengthy research and development …Lost Surfboards is proud to debut The Bottom Feeder, Sub Blaster, Sub Driver and Minnie Driver.

Matt Biolos and Kolohe Andino have tweaked last year’s hit The Driver into two new models, The Sub Driver and Minnie Driver. In a nutshell, the Sub Driver combines the Sub Scorcher outline with The Driver’s popular rocker. For tube hunters the Minnie Driver was born to drive fast through gaping pits but also works well in 2-foot slop. The Blasters is an update on that best-of-the-80s hit, The Flashback. Matt Biolos has also refined his mush-monsters the Plank and Uber Plank into The Bottom Feeder, the latest ride-the-smallest-waves-possible board.

…Lost introduces these four boards early to help get a jump on Fall shop orders. Also, if you haven't checked out Matt's blog please do as it has been a great way for the public to see what goes on behind the scenes and get questions answered by the man himself.

“The Bottom Feeder” – Our latest board designed for riding the smallest waves possible, a board that feeds and thrives off the bottom end of the wave spectrum. I was feeling held back a bit by the wide noses on The Plank and Uber Plank and wanted to make a board with more outline curve and no wings, something more elliptical. This board has the lowest entry rocker that I have ever done and uses rolled belly to keep it from catching. The belly continues through the center but features a double concave sitting inside it which creates a tri plane hull featuring a soft chine in the rail. This feeds water through the hull and gives it a feeling closer to a concave-bottom board. The tail features enough rail rocker and hip to allow aggressive direction changes in tiny surf without losing speed. I am feeling outlines that are more and more clean with less wings and fancy, trendy tail shapes. This board showcases that concept. It’s designed as a quad, but it can be made as a 5fin as well. I prefer it with Future Fin boxes and fiberglass “Controller” fins.

"BOTTOM FEEDER" Dim chart.
5'4sm 20.50 2.32
5'6sm 21.00 2.38
5'8 21.50 2.50
5'10" 22.00 2.63
6'0 22.50 2.75
6'2xl 23.00 2.80
6'4xl 23.50 2.88"

“Sub Blaster” - A blast from the past. Spawning from the Flashback model of 2010, it features the Flashback’s rocker, foil, volume and dimensions smashed together with the Sub Scorcher’s hugely popular outline. The Flashback is one of my all time favorite mushy wave boards but many people were put off by the radical tail shape. The 1980s influenced bottom featuring low rocker and a slight vee throughout allows you to ride much more volume than you normally would (making waves easier to catch and connecting slow sections a breeze) while still being able to get the board on a rail. Even though it’s thick, it doesn’t ride flat or boaty. Another benefit to vee bottoms is how they cut through chop and slop like a knife through butter. The squash tail is a perfect summertime toy, and I also made a RPin version that opens the design up to waves well overhead and even tubes. I made one for myself and surfed all over The Mentawais with it this Spring. Rock it with bright neon colors, a 5-fin convertible set up and blast away at Summer boredom.

"SUB BLASTER’S" dim chart.
5'6sm 19.50 2.25
5'sm7 19.63. 2.32
5'8sm 19.75 2.32
5'9 19.88 2.38
5'10 20.00 2.50
5'11 20.25 2.53
6'0 20.50 2. 56
6'1 20.75 2.56
6'2 21.00 2.63
6'3 21.25 2.75
6'4 21.50 2.75
Add 1-2" in length and keep other dims the same for Round Pins.

“The Sub Driver” – The Sub Driver is something KA specifically asked for this Spring. Most of his small or mushy wave surfing had been on 5'10 18.88 2.25 Sub Scorchers. In solid or curvey, more powerful waves he has been riding his 6'0 18.56 2.25, squash tail Drivers. He asked for me to make something in between … his “Driver with the Sub Scorcher outline”. Using the AKU shaper program I simply imported the Sub Scorchers outline onto the Driver rocker, bottom, foil and rails. We then sized it just between the Sub Scorcher and his Driver at 5'11 18.75 2.25. The result is a board he’s been riding in all sorts of waves from knee-high SC beachbreaks to fun sized Indo. We came up with a cool new logo and rushed this model into the US stores for summer 2011. More nose rocker and less tail rocker (with no vee) than the Sub Scorcher. This is a great all-around small-to-midsize wave board for both average and exceptional surfers. Early response has been fantastic.

“SUB DRIVER" (updated!)
5'4 18.25 2.07
5'6 18.50 2.13
5'7 18.63 2.18
5'8 18.75 2.25
5'9 18.88 2.25
5'10 19.00 2.32
5'11 19.25 2.38
6'0 19.50 2.50
6'1 19.75 2.56
6'2 20.00 2.63
6'3bg 20.25 2.75
6'4bg 20.50 2.75
6'6bg 21.00 2.88

"Minnie Driver" – While preparing a quiver for last month’s Indo trip, Kolohe asked for a “short, fast (flat rockered) little 5-fin tube rider”. I recommended the Rock Up, but he felt it had more tail rocker than he liked and wanted something really, really fast that he could take off extremely deep and pump and pump through tubes from way back. We started with the WE STARTED 6'0" Driver, took note of the nose rocker and outline measurements at 4" and 16" back from the tip, then shrunk the board to a 5'8" and lowered the nose rocker at the tip and 12" back till it matched the 4" and 16" marks from before. We widened the nose till it matched up the same way. This gave us a screaming fast low nose rocker with a forward-placed outline – both attributes give tons of drive. We then rounded off the tail, but left the width at 12" the same. This gave us a very clean and elliptical outline that we expected would move free and easy inside the tube... The "Minnie Driver" performed as hoped. Interstingly enough, one of Kolohe’s buddies (Taylor Clark) grabbed it after it came back from Indo and used it in the US Nationals event in Huntington Beach. He surfed it in 2-foot slop all the way to a second place finish in the Open Men’s Division. The board worked in everything.

"MINNIE DRIVER" Dim Chart.
5'4 18.25 2.18
5'5 18.38 2.18
5'6 18.50 2.25
5'7 18.75 2.25
5'8 19.00 2.32
5'9 19.25 2.32
5'10 19.50 2.38
5'11 19.75 2.44
6'0bg 20 2.50
6'1bg 20.25 2.63
6'2bg 20.50 2.75
6'4bg 21.00 2.75

hmmmm...

It's all well and good to strut around the place saying "it's 3 - 4ft and offshore today", but that means close to sweet F A if the only chance you get to hit it is on the lowest of low-ass tide at a 'sandbank challenged' beach. Actually, it might even be worse paddling around and looking over the ledge of close-out after beautiful wind-groomed close-out, than bobbing around like a you-know-what in 1ft wind blown chop. Not unlike taking home an average looking bird/bloke - At least you kinda got what you came for, and it's whole lot easier to walk away from it when you're done.

Never mind me, heaps of swell around and generally nice conditions. If you can get to it with a bit of H2O under it or have a nice little reef to muck around on you're laughing.

Lots of new stuff coming up. If SUP is your thing we've got a ton in store AND have just opened the mother of all SUP shops in Brookyvale. Check it out.

Surprises and slide-outs

Where did that come from!!!!!!!

I mosey on down to my local expecting more of the same 2-3ft loveliness as the day before, maybe even a little improvement with the hour difference in tide - I'm an optimist. Instead, me and Big Dano were greeted by courdoroy in the 3 - 5ft variety and not much bank underneath either. I'd recently been playing around with smaller fins in my Lost...SDII. Bad idea.

It's painfully obvious that winter is getting close and with it bringeth the swell. So to avoid being void of the right equipment when your local pumps, drop in and place your orders for one of the many good semi-guns on offer at the moment. Lost... Whiplash and F-1 models are shaped with good waves in mind and are getting really good reports from the guys who taken them on south coast missions recently, and fellas who like a more tuned board for everyday stuff. The Warners mentioned a few posts below are still doing well and are a strong favourite with local crew.

If you're in the same boat as yours truly we've got a huge selection of fins to suit boards and people of all shapes and sizes from all the brands(FCS, Future, etc). If you're in the neighbourhood and still haven't had a squiz, come in and check out the Powerbase fins - they're awesome.

...it's nearly that time again - Winter

I reckon there is few feelings more disheartening than the first time in a year that you set foot on the surface of your local's carpark and feel the chill. Wrap that up with the knowledge that the stroll across the grossly neglected grasslands and bitter sand and you've got yourself one mighty, big, fat excuse that your subconscious will throw back in your face tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off. This week has been anything but winter-like, but it's coming.

We've just taken delivery of all our new season rubber. We've got suits in all sizes and colours from O'neil (all Psycho models, mutants, hammers, etc), plus the latest offerings from Xcel (all models), but we most certainly do not have any wetsuits from Rip Curl in stock, you'd have to go to the Manly store for that. But, the suit that had us all frothing last year was the West Lotus model. Highly rated by all the boys for flexibility, warmth and great fit. If you are in the market for a new steamer we strongly recommend trying one on - you'll be impressed.

Meanwhile, it hasn't been pumping but geez it's been nice out there. good water temprature, glassy and just enough swell to keep us interested. Hope you all fed the need, 'cause the weekend looks shithouse. Ciao

Dwarts and Discounts

I bullshitted my wife into thinking I was helping a mate move on Saturday. Instead, I loaded about 3 boxes onto the flat bed of his now severly deformed truck (Lloydy you tool!) then hauled anus down to the beach for a lunchtime paddle, even though she was kind enough to bear the brunt of my cranky little son so I could pull an early and a late one. When is enough enough? But how good was it? But it's a bit rough, hey? But low tide was early arvo?.....

Anyway, if you are just embarking on a life of constant yearning, broken promises and strained relationships then look no further. For a limited time only Dripping Wet Bondi Beach are offering surfboard packages (board, bag, fins, leggy, wax, etc)beginning at $350.00!!!!! We've got all sorts of shapes and sizes, but Ingrid is draping herself across a nice 7'6 example in the pic above. These boards generally move pretty quickly, so get yourself down there ASAP and mention the blog.

For those with more particular tastes, we've got a bunch of Rusty Preisendorfer offerings in the rack at the moment. I reckon you need to pop in and caress them all, but the Dwart is an interesting little creature that caught me eye. Round nose, round tail, full rails, but really refined. We've got them in 5'4, 5'6, 5'8 & 5'10, they look sick.

Oh, and 30% off all summer gear this week.

Ciao.

Logs & alternatives?!

If you're a Sydney based longboarder who may be a little bit partial to lots of glass and heavier modes of transport, or a dude (or dudette!) that appreciates a fine tint job on your fish, bonzer, hull, single fin, etc - then be prepared to get very, very excited. There's a bloke called Scott in Bondi who with the help of his mates makes some of the finest alternative craft I've seen in a while and definitely some of the sweetest I've ever seen come out of Sydney. We've got two very different examples of his work in the shop at the moment. The big yellow submarine in 9'8 and the white with green rails is 9'4, the finish on these two have to be seen to be belived. Just to prove that Waxa surfboards aren't one-trick ponys, I've thrown up some examples of their shorter creations - so sick.

We're having a good run of waves at the moment, lets not jinx things.